Utilization of waste rubber.



l l l 951,813..v No Drawing.

-To all whom it may come Be it known thut l, Anon @n s luscrl, mmemlogist, av subgect of the'Emp'eror of Germany, and a resident oi? Vlfl' Eitiltgcsse 1, Vienns, in the Elnllf0f Austria-Hungory, have invented Improvements Relating;

to the Utilization of WesteRubber; use l do hereby declare the following to-beu full, clear, and erect description oftlie invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it apperteins to rue-l re and use the same.

All processes and experiments heretofore undertaken for reclaiming the rubber or rubber substitutes from old vulcanized rubher which has become herd or friable or useless have culminated in the endeavor principally to eliminate the sulfur from the mess to be treated, either wholly or in part by dissolving the rubber in an appropriate solvent of aboutfi to 30 times the weight of the rubber, in order first of all to separate the sulfur, and then to reclaim the rubber by. evaporating the solvent. it is likewise known to leave the solvent (of the indie rubber) in the mass, and to vulceniue the mixture subsequently (see for example German patent No. 109827 Now, contrary to the methods hitherto a opted, in accordance with the present invention the old rubber, after having been divided into small particles or pulverized,'is intimately mixed, not with :lrom 5 to 30 times its Weight, but only with approximately a fifth to e teutl'i part of its Weight with anilin, and either in 0 en or closed ,vessels it is brought, prefers 13' with the assistance of an oil. or air, steam, or sand bath, for about a quarter of an hour to iof an hour (according to the quantity to be treated) to a temperature of, say 13Q to 1609 (3. for the purpose of softening the rubber. When the mixture has become soft it is treated in the usual manner by the known mixin or masticating rollers, and results in a pro not closely approaching new rubber, both as regards its elasticity and also all its other properties. This novel material may be vulcanized in the usual manner without sulfur or with only small quantities of sulfur, and (which is most important such reclaimed rubber when it has again beenwdrn out may be resubmitted to the treutmeht do scribed, end is sgein capable of vulcanization without unynoclition of sulfur.

It Should be stated that the anilin buses and solid hydrocurbons are well known A museum filed: east-seer so .125

i solvents for indie rubber (see for example German potent bio. 99689 or British patent No. 3855/02? but only'in the large quantities already referred to, ancient us in the present invention in such small quantities, and with the object of dissolvin not the indie rubber buttlie sulfur for the uration of the process of regeneration.

"Experiments have shown that by uniting vulcanized Waste rubber with enilin in sub stantisll the proportions specified, and sui, jecting the mixture to the temperature upproximately es specified, the anilin is obsorbed by the rubber and permanently retained therein. The experiments further tend to -show that the Waste rubber and unilin enter into a loose chemical combina time, since the anilin is held in the rubber with great tenacity. Whether the combination is a true chemical combination or not can not be ascertained, and, therefore, I do not intend to be understood as advancing the above theory as the only one, but it is merely advanced from the results obtained. The e eriments, however, show that the rubber h'o ds the enilin with great tenacity and forms 2; compouml with the anilin. The result of the process is, therefore, a com pound consisting of waste rubber and anilin The enilin remains in and forms :1 compound with the Waste rubber, as distinguished from those processes and compounds in which the eniliu is used onlyes a solvent and afterward separated.

Vulcanized waste rubber which has been reclaimed by the process herein specified, is found to possess s. characteristicwhich is considered the peculiar property of new rubber, that s, the capability of reuniting freshly cut surfaces by the application oi pressure alone. Q a v Having thus described the process anal the claim is: v V

L The htu'ein clescri *3 yroces's of recluiming waste rubber, which" consists in. mixingwsste rubber with anilin mid heat ing the mixture to e tempereture-nuilicicnt to cause said Waste rubber to absorb, enter into eloose combination with and. retain the anilin. c

5h The herein described process of claiming waste rubber" which consists in mixing waste rubber with one tenth to one fifth ofits weight of anilin'and heating the mixture to a temperature suiiicient to cause compound produced by the process,

combinationwith aid waste rubber to absorb, enter into a Loose combination with and'retain the anilin.

3. The herein described process of reclaiming waste rubber which consists in mixing waste rubber with anilin and heating the mixture to a temperature over 130 legrees centigrade to cause said waste ruboer to absorb, enter into a loose combination with and retain the anilin.

4. The herein described p claiming rubber, which consists in mixing vaste rubber with one tenth to one fifth of its weight of anilin and heating the mixture at a tern erature of 130 degrees centigrade egrees centi rade to cause said waste rubberito absor enter into a loose and retain the anilin.

5. The herein described reclaimed waste rocess of re rubber compound, consisting of a mixture of waste rubber and anilin, the anilin being absorbed, in a loose combination with and retained b the rubber.

6. The erein described reclaimed waste rubber compound, consisting of a mixture of. waste rubber and one-tenth to' one-fifth of 25 its Weight of anilin, the anilin being absorbed, in a loose combination with and retained by the rubber.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 30 two subscribing witnesses.

ADoLr GENTZSCH.

Witnesses:

W. A. RUBLEE, AUcUsr FUGGEB. 

